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Home , Ek Duuje Ke Liye, Life and Lyrics, Mansoor Khan, Rati Agnihotri, Ravi (music director), Sachin Bhowmick

International Research Journal of Management Sociology & Humanities

ISSN 2277 – 9809 (online) ISSN 2348 - 9359 (Print)

An Internationally Indexed Peer Reviewed & Refereed Journal

Shri Param Hans Education & Research Foundation Trust

www.IRJMSH.com www.SPHERT.org

Published by iSaRa Solutions

IRJMSH Vol 6 Issue 8 [Year 2015] ISSN 2277 – 9809 (0nline) 2348–9359 (Print)

Shakespeare’s & : A boon to B- Town

“So long as men can breath or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee” (Shakespeare’s sonnet no. 18)

Subhrasleta Banerjee Department of English Balurghat Mahila Mahavidyalaya

The name is who can easily prophesied about the power of his golden pen through which his beloved might not need children to preserve his youthful beauty and can defy time and last forever. It is surprisingly related today.

The main theme of Shakespeare’s work is ‘LOVE’- ‘the blind fool’. He indirectly acknowledges there may be obstacles in true love and urges to marry with true ‘mind’ rather than merely two people. This love is a bold subject matter that has always lacked rules and always attracts controversy - specially within the strict norms of Asian Culture. These various challenges and obstacles make multistory-love-complex silently. Cinema woos audiences by offering this emotion. Modern Indian Cineme is already an indestructible massive field of art work which has been successfully taken the extract of the Shakespearean drama to serve the common. The literary works of Shakespeare reinvigorate uncountable people of the world. The unique excellence of Bard’s ‘violent delights’ and ‘violent ends’; excessive passion and love full of zeal; jealousy and romance; greed for empowerment and assassination; laughter and satire; aesthetic sensibility and of course the plot construction both in comedy and - are all time favourite to screen. Thus the accidental and oriental amalgamation creates a jumbo - factory of ‘Desi Kapra with Videsi dhaga’.

Filming of Shakespeare’s play in Indian Cinema has been an innovative and exceptionally masterful journey. His plays draws and unique and perfect image of human behavior and response to joy, sorrow, success, failure and uncountable number of other human feelings. This magnificent pictures are skillfully reflected to the silver - screen by the great artists of the huge family of Indian Celluloid. The age of colonialism took Shakespeare to the Indian subcontinent, but the Indian Film spread it to the root level knowingly or unknowingly. The mass of this subcontinent has been drinking the drops of this wine and allows it to dissolve in their daily life. Shakespeare was no longer an English speaker’s wealth. It was sprinkled to the common and became more enriched through the craftsmanship of Indian artists by ages.

My paper highlights the discovery of Indian Cinematic phenomenon laying prominence on adaptation of Shakespeare’s play, specially ‘’. The word adaptation was derived from Latin word ‘adaptare’ that means to make suitable or fit for a specific use or situation. It requires interpretation and most radical recreation of the same text. Although this

International Research Journal of Management Sociology & Humanity ( IRJMSH ) Page 158 www.irjmsh.com IRJMSH Vol 6 Issue 8 [Year 2015] ISSN 2277 – 9809 (0nline) 2348–9359 (Print) adaptation could not be started without the outstanding contribution of Indian authors who started the work of adaptating, translating or writing influentical deeds for Shakespeare. Amongest them Bankim Chandra Chattapadhyaya, Girish Chandra Ghosh, Rabindranath Tagore, Dwijendralal Roy, Gopal Ganesh, Harbans Rai Bachchhan, Virinda Karandikar, Kavalam Narain Panikkar, Lashinath Bezbarua, H.S. Shivprakash and many more are the glowing stars.

The safari of Shakespearean era in Indian Cinema began with ‘Khoon Ka khoon’ (1935) and till date it entertains spectators and critics of B-Town. The Indian adaptation was written by Mehdi Ahsan, starring Sohrab Modi as Hamlet, Nasreem Bano as Ophelia and Shamshad Bai as Gertrue. Late on came the Indian adaptation of ‘The Marchant of Venice’ and titled as ‘Zalim Saudagar’ (1941) directed by J.J. Madan. Afterwards a quite number of Indian movies, adaptated from Bard’s plays are acclaimed by both spectators and critics. Actually, Shakespeare’s film has a classical universal appeal with different interpretations and adaptations. ‘A rose by any other name would smell as sweet’. This famous quote becomes the magic ingredient to the filmmakers and the European works have come alive on the Indian Silver-Screen in differnt avatars, whether it is ‘Comedy of Errors’ to ‘Bhrantibilas’ (Bengali adaptation 1963) or ‘Angoor’ ( adaptation, 1982); ‘Macbeth’ to ‘Maqbool’ (2003), a over-suspicion crime based film ‘Othello’ to ‘Omkara’ (2006), ‘Hamlet’ to ‘Haidar’ (2014) or ‘Romeo and Juliet’ to ‘Goliyon Ki Rasleela : Ramleela’ (2013) and many more.

Now I explore selected Bollywood ‘Romeo and Juliet’ interpretations and its reflection on South - Asian Culture related to love whole heartedly. Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” was written in 16th Century. It was the most renowned heart-breaking love story of two teenagers - Romeo and Juliet who met various obstacles and complexities from their feuding clans and finally the story line was completed with their ‘engrossing end’ - this pathos and romance have continuously remained a popular spices for Bollywood dish to present it more palatable delicious food to B-Town fan.

(1) Bobby (1973) Directed by : Produced by : Raj Kapoor Written by : Khwaja Ahmed Abbas, Jainendra Jain, V.P. Sathe Starring : , Music : Laxmikant Pyarelal Cinematograpy : Radhu Karmakar Production Company : R.K. Films Release date : November 1973 Running time : 169 minutes Country : Language : Hindi

Bobby is a trendsetter. It first introduced the teen - romance genre in Bollywood. Though the genre was previously used widely in Kolkata film Industry. It even showed the collision of rich vs poor. Later on huge number of film was inspired by this genre.

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It is a based movie. The two teenagers - Raj Nath (Rishi Kapoor), from a rich family and Bobby Braganza (Dimple Kapadia) a lower middle class-girl, fall in love with each other. After knowking this, Raj’s father, Mr. Nath engages Raj to a mentally challanged girl, Alka (Farida Jalal) to get benefit in business. Raj then fled to unite with Bobby, but failed. Lastly the two lovers jumped from a waterfall to save their love. But finally Indian cinema rescued Raj and Bobby through their family after realizing their irreparable love.

Bobby was a block buster hit (1) and was top grosser in 1973 (2) and second highest grosser of 70s (3). Definitely a bold new and huge step was taken in ‘Bobby’. Director never took chance to break the happy-ending scenario of the then Film -society. Another is, unlike a hero -heroine of 40+ age ‘Bobby” introduced two teens as the protagonists. Although, it was the first adaptation of ‘Romeo and Juliet’. Moreover under the pressure of those two protagonists, Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia as they were only eighteen and fifteen respectively. But their work was so much full of expertise that it can overwhelmed the viewer’s heart with passion of love.

(2) (1981) Directed by : K. Balachander Produced by : L.V. Prasad Written by : K. Balachander Starring by : , Rati Agnihorti, Music by : Laxmikant-Pyarelal Cinematography : B.S. Lokanath Edited by : N.R. Kittu Release dates : 5 June, 1981 Running time : 163 minutes Language : Hindi

In 1981s ‘Ek Duuje Ke Liye’ created history as it is a critically acclaimed ‘block buster’ hit film. This adaptation emphasized on the unbeatable love through surpassing their parantal opposition. It bagged a National award and 13 Nominations. It is a 100 million Rs. (4) (US $ 1.5 million) earning movie. It was a remake of ‘Maro Charitra’ from the same director.

A cross - culture romance depicts the story of Vasu (Kamal Haasan), a Tamil guy and Sapna (), a North- Indian girl who are conjoined with love despite of having huge language barrier. The story is based in Goa. The idea of their marriage was straitway rejected by their parents leading to a Chaos. After a lot of drama the story ends with tragic suicide of the love-couple.

In this film, the fantastic chemistry of two lead actors Kamal Haasan and Rati Agnihotri through Vasu-Sapna’s passionate love; Subha Khote’s (Spana’s Mother) commandable acting as a wicked mother; the most thrilling scene - how adamantly Sapna mixed a burnt picture of Vasu into her tea and drank it easily to show their unbreakable love-relation and above all, in music the super hit melodious son - ‘sola barash ki bali Umar Ko Selam....” - underlying all these are act as a reminder of teen - romance tragedy ‘Remeo and Juliet’. Once again, we realize that

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Romeo like Vasu and Juliet like Sapna being paralysed physically in earth are huddled together by death for spiritual revitalization in Haven.

3) Sanam Teri Kasam (1982) Directed by : Narendra Bedi Produced by : Barkha Roy Starring : Kamal Haasan, , Kader , Ranjeet Music by : R.D. Barman Release date : 14th May, 1982 Country : India Language : Hindi

Another Bard’s adaptation was ‘Sanam Teri Kasam’ that was a “Semi-hit” at the box - office by Narendra Bedi starred with Kamal Haasan and Reena Roy. Though it was much appreciated and was more successful in big cities but, critically it was an average movie. Cheap screen play and rewriting of the movie showed it was a total commercial movie from the directors point of view. R.D. Barman played his role eminently as a music director which makes it a matchable one and he won his First Filmfare Best Music Director Award for ‘Sanam Teri Kasam’. (6).

(4) (1988) Directed by : Produced by : Written by : Nasir Hussain Starring : , Juhi Chawla, Alok Nath Music : Anand Milind Cinematography : Kiran Deohans Edited by : Zafar Sultan Distributed by : Nasir Hussain Films Release dates : 29th April, 1988 Running Time: 163 mins

The next interpretation is through ‘Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak’, by Mansoor Khan. It is the first film of Aamir Khan, a overright heartthrob actor, and ever charming Juhi Chawla as lead role. It is an unforgetable love - picture can hardly be made again.

Shakespeare’s two opposition families, the Montague’s and the Capulet’s are represented here as Thakur Jaswant Singh and Thakur Rahuveer Singh, who became bitter enemies. In this film we see that after falling in love, Raj (Aamir Khan) and Rashmi (Juhi Chawla) take on their families and elope dreaming of an idyllic life together. But, at last they tracked down and Rashmi is shot twice, rolls down from the hill. Staying true to Shakespeare’s version, after Rashmis death, Raj commits suicide with a dagger and dies. Once again the scene act as stimuli to all Romeo and Juliet of our Society.

This is a landmark movie in history of Indian Cinema. This film successfully breaks the angry - youngman image with the hands of Chocolate boy hero Aamir Khan. Here we find Raj’s

International Research Journal of Management Sociology & Humanity ( IRJMSH ) Page 161 www.irjmsh.com IRJMSH Vol 6 Issue 8 [Year 2015] ISSN 2277 – 9809 (0nline) 2348–9359 (Print) attitude in playing guiter in College farewell song ‘Papa Kehte hain.....’ creats a craze on juvenile mind till now. The entire team of this film got various Film Fare Awards and National Film Fare Award for its huge popularity. The movie declared block buster at the box- office and shot its leading stars to fame overnight (7). It is the film that started the trend of having films reffered to by an acronym of the title like QSQT.

Saudagar (1991) Directed by : Produced by : Ashok Ghai, Subhash Ghai Written by : Bhowmick, Subhash Ghai, Kamlesh Pandey Starring : , Raj Kumar, Manisha Kairala, Kushran, Amrish Puri. Music by : Laxmikant - Pyarelal Cinematography : Edited by : Woman Bhonsle, Gurudutt Shirali. Distributed by : . Release dates : 9th August, 1991 Language : Hindi

‘Saudagar’ a silver - Jubilee (8) successful hit film all over India is influenced from the famous play of Bard’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’. In this filim Mandhaari’s role is parellel to that of in ‘Romeo and Juliet’. Here we see two bossom friends became enemies by Chuniya and in this circumstances their grand child Vashu and Radha are attached with love, as usual their old vivalry comes out and forbid the couple for further meeting otherwise death will engulf them. This film emphasized the love - passion and love - power. From Saudagar Subhas Ghai got the Film Fare Best Director Award.(9)

Ishaqzaade (2012)

Directed by : Habib Faisal Produced by : Written by : Rahul Roy Kohli Screen Play by : Habib Faisal Starring : Arjun Kapoor, Parineeti Chopra, Gauhar Khan Music by : , Background Score : Ranjit Ba Cinematograpy : Hemant Chaturvedi Edited by : Aarti Bajaj Production Company : Distributed by : Yash Raj Films Release date : 11 May 2012 Running time : 132 mins Country : India

Ishaqzaade, is an intersting twist of 21th Century’s Romeo and Juliet of Habib Faisal. It is a doomed love of Zoya (Parineeti Chopra) and Parma (Arjun Kapoor). Not only - Muslim romance, the previous rivalry of their families also draws a boundary between Zoya and

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Parma’s conjugal relationship. Initially Parma’s love was tricky and casual to Zoya but later their true love shoot each other in the abdomen willingly to save their love from their parantal gunfire battle, die in each other’s arms, smilingly. The story ends with a grim culmination giving a massage that explains how thousands South-Asian Romeo and Juliet like Joya and Parma sacrifice their lives because of falling in love outside their caste and / or religion. On the face of it this is a fantastic Indian adaptation of ‘Romeo and Juliet’. “But if you have ever loved someone without a sense of inhibition, then deeper in the recesses of its story is Ishaqzaade is a saga of love being more important than life and death”.(10)

Goliyon Ki Raasleela : Ram - Leela (2013) Directed by : Produced by : Sanjoy Leela Bhansali, Chetan Deolekar, Kishore Lulla, Sandeep Sing Written by : Siddharth - Garima (Lyrics and Dialouge) Screen play by : Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Siddharth-Garima Based on : Romeo and Juliet by Willam Shakespeare (11) Starring : and Music by : Original Songs : Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Hemu Gadhvi Background score : Monty Sharma Cinematography : Varman Edited by : Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Rajesh G. Pandey Production Company : Bansali Productions, (12) Distributed by : Eros International Release date : 15 November, 2013 Running Time : 155 mins Country : India Box Office : 202 crore (US $ 30 million) (13) Language : Hindi

Finally, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s adaptation (11) (14) (15) ‘Goliyon Ki Raasleela : Ram- Leela’ from ‘Romeo and Juliet’ comes out. The critically acclaimed movie got him a box - office success. In the film we see a colourful, enormous raash leela, but played with goli, instead of holi, Bhansali’s film, too, narrates a 500 years old historic enmity between two clans in a village in Gujrat and a common love theme is nourished between Ram (Ranveer Singh) and Leela (Deepika Padukone) from this opposition communities. Since the plot is Shakespearean, the maker has the arduous task on an expensive scale. Banshali’s film fairely close to Shakespeare in the first half, but the uncertainty about how its all going to end which is quite the achievement with a text as familiar as ‘Romeo and Juliet’. Ram and Leela believe that they are the sole owners of each other’s lives and hence they decide to kill each other instead of fighting. Though the two clangs unite finally but the love - life already sets in the West sky of death.

This hilarious movie ultimately earned 2.02 billion (US$30 million) and becomes the fifth highest grossing film of 2013 and won three Film Fare Awards from a total of eight Nominations. In the context of ‘Ram - Leela’ I must conclude with the director’s opinion. Sanjay Leela Banshali said in an interview about his adaptation that -

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“ I have always been influenced by literary work. It is a literary work. It is a liberating experience for a filmmaker to make a film on Shakespeare, though I have taken away several portions from the Original Shakespearean play” He also categorically stated the film was a desi version of Bard’s Romeo and Juliet.

Indian Cinema has properly fitted for ‘Romeo and Juliet’ with respect to the contemporary culture, political situation, livelyhood of Indian Citizen and other componants of Society which keeps on changing with time. These famous filmmakers have sometime moulded the story by mistake may be for Box - Office income or unknowlingly to set up their style. No doubt has a detailed study on William Shakespeare which reflects brightly on the Silver Screen, having a proper ‘Bhardwaj Effect’ in if. Not every directors have or had that much expertize on Shakespearean field. But the good thing that I find in adapting ‘Romeo and Juliet’ or ‘Shakespeare’, speaking in a broad way, is from Artist’s Cup Shakespeare becomes a common man’s heart-feed. Shakespear’s works are drawn on the canvas of 16th Century, but the emotion he chose for his famous tragedy ‘Romeo and Juliet’ was ‘LOVE’. A lot of time earth has evolved the sun, gallons of water has flown into the sea; countless moment has passed, humanbeings have changed a lot; but some emotions have remained the same. Amongst them love is very tricky, strange, near to heart and obviously man’s achilles heel. That’s the only reason the common and the superior can connect to Shakespeare devotionally till now. Thus, ‘Romeo and Juliet’ has been a story container full of commercially successfull glowing materials for Bollywood bazar. One more phenomenon occured which is quite remarkable. Its been eight decades and counting, ‘Shakespeare’ holds an eminent position for film - stories in all of the film industris in India. Romeo and Juliet is one of the pillar of this huge industry of Indian Cinema and we all owe Shakespeare more respect.

References : (1) ^ Kanware, Rachna (3 October, 2005) “25 must see Bollywood Movies Indiatimes movies”. Archieved from the original on 2008-08-22. (2) ^ “Box Office 1973” Boxofficeindia.com. Retrieved 2011-06-01 (3) ^ “Top Earners 1970-1979 Boxofficeindia.com Retrieved 2011-06-01. (4) ^ ab “Boxofficeindia” “Vishwaroop” gets good response in Hindi belt’s “Time of India” 3 February 2013, Retrieved 2013-02-03. (5) ^ Box Office India.com. Retrieved 2014-10-04. (6) ^ Ist , 1953. (7) ^ “Domestic Box Office” 2013, Retrieved November, 2014. (8) ^ “Box Office India”. (9) ^ “Mukta Arts” (10) ^ Rachit Gupta (11 May 2012) Isaqzaade “Review Filmfare”. (11) ^ ab “Ramleela” . 26 January 2013 (12) ^ Cast and Crew” Bollywoodhungama. (13) ^ “Woldwide TOP TEN 2013” - Retrived 15 May 2014. 14) ^ ab Ist Look Ram-Leela “India Today.” Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. 15) ^ ab “Ranveer Singh’s Chilly tales for Ram-Leela” .

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